Floor Plans |
Fiber-Cement Siding
Fiber-cement siding is a mixture of sand, cement, and celluose (added to prevent cracking). This slurry is auto-claved, imprinted with designs, and baked. It comes out as thin, hardened shingles of various sizes.
Fiber-Cement is More Than Just HardiPlank
HardiPlank is the tradename of the most popular type of fiber-cement siding. Over 100 years ago, James Hardie emigrated from Scotland to Australia, and with a partner, Andrew Reid, formed the James Hardie Company. Hardie retired and sold off his end to Reid, but the James Hardie name continued.
That said, today there are many other fiber-cement manufacturers besides James Hardie: Cemplank, Certainteed, GAF Materials, MaxiTile, Nichiha, and more.
But do you want fiber-cement siding on your house?
Fiber-cement siding looks great on the face of it. But as with anything, there are plusses and minuses. Let's add them up.
Pros and Cons of Installing Fiber-Cement Siding
Pros- Considerably more fire-resistent than vinyl or wood siding.
- Imprinted designs imitate wood-grain remarkably well, even from close-up.
- Tougher, stronger than vinyl siding.
- Can be cost-effective when compared to a full-scale refurbishment of wood clapboard.
- Can be painted, thus giving homeowner more design choices.
- The exterior of your new home will be protected with a rot, fire, wind and insect resistant material
Cons
- Cost. Fiber-cement is far more expensive than vinyl siding.
- Slower installation time than vinyl (though faster than refurbishing wood siding).
- Typically not a do-it-yourself job. Most types of siding (and especially fiber-cement) should be installed by professionals.
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Tom Zumwalt |
Silvercreek Realty 254 S Cole Rd Boise, Id 83709 Office: 208-377-0422 |
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